New York City College of Technology (City Tech) Professor Aaron Barlow goes behind the scenes with the man responsible for blockbuster movies like Pulp Fiction, Kill Bill, and Inglorious Basterds in his new book Quentin Tarantino: Life at the Extremes.

According to Barlow, a resident of Lefferts Garden, he became interested in how Tarantino, a high school dropout, was able to inspire a new wave of directors and filmmakers with his knack for originality in his controversial films.

“No contemporary filmmakers take risks the way Tarantino does,” says Barlow. “No one else is quite so willing to fail. And no one is as dedicated to reinvention as he is.”

“He is the perfect topic for a film writer, for there is always something new to say, even about his old films, each time one watches a movie he has made.”

In general, most books written about Tarantino have addressed the presence of pop culture in his films. Barlow’s book, however, is an attempt to approach Tarantino’s movies from a technical standpoint, analyzing his directorial techniques such as the heavy use of violence, which is clearly visible in his Kill Bill series.

“One of the things that inspired me to write a book on Tarantino was his use of extreme violence as a metaphor,” said Barlow. “Tarantino pushes cinema in new directions with violence,” he said.

According to Barlow, his City Tech students can learn valuable lessons from both Tarantino’s focus on realism in films, as well as his modest background and rise to success.

“The most important lesson anyone can take from Tarantino is the importance of passion, in both life and work,” said Barlow. “Because he is so passionate, Tarantino often steps over lines, but he learns, reflects, and moves forward undaunted.”